


Cursed

by ship_show



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2020-11-24 19:47:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20913125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ship_show/pseuds/ship_show
Summary: For 73 years, Kaida Scamander had been cursed to remain in her animagus form by day only to turn human during night. Bound to Romania, she spends her nights researching a way to break her curse and reunite with her brother. Finally, a slightly more competent dragon trainer figures out this mysterious dragons secret and the two embark on a dangerous journey to break her curse and maybe find love along the way...





	1. Chapter 1

As the New York shoreline came into view, the girl smiled. Her white hair blew around her face as the salty breeze wished around her. She took a moment to adjust the bright red glasses resting on the tip of her nose and listened as the people around her began to prepare for docking. Knowing that she still had some time, the girl wandered back to the small cabin she had been staying in and made sure that her bags were all packed. There were of course a few small things she always kept on her person at all times, including her wand, which was made of burchwood and had a core of unicorn hair. Her hand moved unconsciously to the amulet around her neck and her smile widened as she remembered when she had gotten it. Her older brother, Newt had given it to her as a birthday present before he had left for New York. Her fingers touched the secret button and it popped open softly, showing her the little lettering. 

"To my dearest Specs. May the air lift your wings high. Much love, Newt." She read aloud before clicking it closed once more and picking up the small worn journal that rested on the top of her case. Inside held every little detail of her life, from when she began seeing signs of magic in her life, to when she boarded the boat from England to America. 

"Twenty minutes till docking! Twenty minutes till docking!" She heard and gathered her belongings before walking back to the deck. In the time that she had been under, they had gotten much closer to the shore and her excitement elevated as she realized she was finally going to see her brother after almost a year apart. 

"Hello Kaida." She suddenly heard and snapped around, coming face to face with her oldest brother.

"Thesius? What are you doing here?" She cried, dropping her bags and jumping into his outstretched arms. He spun her around in a small circle before placing her back down and smiling down at her.

"Newt sent me. I work at the Ministry, you know. Well, he told me you were coming and told me to pick you up." He explained and Kaida smiled excitedly.

"I can't wait to see him! Where is he right now?" She pulled back to look around the boat, hoping to catch sight of the crazy haired boy. Thesius chuckled and shook his head.

"He isn't in New York. He had to go to Romania to save a Norwegian Ridgeback that was being kept in a magical circus. Poor thing was in terrible condition." He said, and Kaida smiled proudly. Newt had always been so selfless. He really did love his animals.

"Okay. Well, let's go!" She said, grabbing her bags before standing in front of him again. Thesius nodded and grabbed her wrist, leading their apparitions to Newt.

****

"Okay, he should be in there." Thesius said, having stopped them in the most beautiful clearing she had ever seen. To her left was a ginormous waterfall which reflected the large full moon beautifully and fell into the clearest pond. Around her there were flowers of every color and type and she took a deep breath of the clean smell before looking to where Thesius had pointed.

"That is a waterfall Thesius." She said, watching as he rolled his eyes.

"Behind the waterfall, you crazy. There is a cave. I'm sure that Newt is in there." He said and began to walk over, Kaida following behind. Sure enough, there was a small walkway on the edge of the rock that led directly behind the waterfall. It actually opened up to a room that Kaida realized was almost as big as her Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom had been. She blinked a few times, realizing that not only was the room huge...it was empty. Kaida placed down her things and looked around before looking back at her brother.

"He must have already left. Let's head back." She said and before she had the chance to walk back, Thesius stepped in front of her, blocking the exit.

"Thesius. Let's go. Newt isn't here anymore." She said and tried to step around him again. Thesius only moved to block her again as a smirk began to grow on his face.

"Well that's the thing Kaida. Newt was never here. I just couldn't allow you to get to him." Kaida tilted her head slightly as confusion washed over her.

"What do you mean?" She asked, taking a step away from him.

"I couldn't have you helping him. The both of you are so much stronger together." He purred, almost wickedly. "You see, I had to get you out of the picture. And what better way to get rid of you then to take you somewhere you can't escape."  
Kaida didn't understand why Thesius was doing this, but she pulled out her wand and pointed it at him. 

"Thesius. If you are playing some kind of sick joke, it really isn't funny." She hissed, but he simply chuckled darkly.

"That fire. I've always envied it. Is that why your anigmas form is a dragon?" Kaida growled and aimed her wand at his chest, ready to protect herself if the need arose. Thesius continued smirking before he pulled out his own wand.

"You know...I have always wanted to hear what a dragon sounds like. Mind showing me?" Kaida was about to shoot back a sharp comment when she heard it. One of the forbidden curses.

"Crucio!" Thesius cried, aiming the stream right at Kaida.   
The first thing she felt was a burning electricity running through her blood. And then she heard the most unholy screeching in the world. It wasn't until the pain stopped that she realized that it was her own voice and that in the time under the curse, Thesius had taken her wand. 

"That was loud. I wonder if you could do it again!" He said, kneeling over her crumpled form. Kaida screamed again as he hit her with the curse again and her vision flashed bright white as she felt her body writhing on the rock covered ground. Small cuts began to burst forth on her body, but she barely felt them through the white hot pain flooding her blood. Thesius freed her from the curse and she felt sobs rake her body as the pain rang on.

"Now. The next part." He said and reached for her necklace. The one from Newt. Suddenly all she wanted to do was protect it. Because if she was led here, then where was Newt? Just before his hand wrapped around the amulet, Kaida grabbed one of the sharper rocks that had sliced her and drove into his hand. It wasn't quite long enough to go completely through, but he simply cursed and grabbed the necklace, wrenching it from her neck with his now bleeding palm.

"Oh, you will pay for that." He hissed and yanked the rock from his hand before stabbing it into Kaida's unprotected stomach.   
Her eyes widened as she looked down at the rock and gasped in pain as he twisted it once before pulling it back out. Blood flowed forth from the jagged gash and Kaida screamed as he pushed his fingers into the gash, forcing her further into the room to stand under the ray of moonlight that was filtering through the waterfall at the mouth of the cave.

"You see, the curse cannot be cast without spilling the blood of the person who is getting cursed. Then of course, I have to put it all over the caves entrance as well. Don't worry though. You won't die from this injury." He said, placing the necklace, her wand, and a strange dark red gem in a triangle around her. He smeared her blood across each item, going back every once in a while to slice her somewhere else in order to keep the blood fresh. Kaida sobbed as each cut burned pain through her, but Thesius simply paid her no mind. The entire time he chanted the same phrase, practically dripping with malice. 

"Fortia morpha luna kai sanguis." He hissed a final time, finishing the lines around her. He stood then and looked out, the full moon shone brightly and he turned back, a smirk on his face as he raised his wand once more. 

"You know about Haley's Comet, don't you Kaida? It only passes the earth every seventy-six years. And it will pass through the shadow of the moon in about two minutes. Can't have you break the triangle though...Crucio."

Kaida screamed loudly as the electric heat boiled her blood in her veins and felt more blood rush out of the multiple gashes on her arms and legs. The wound on her stomach steadily pushed out crimson liquid as well and just before she felt like she was about to pass out, it all stopped. She only heard the evil laugh of her brother before she felt a sharp pain tearing through her arms and legs. Her mouth opened in agony as it continued to spread through her and she felt her bones snapping and her joints popping as she was forced to change into her animagus form. Her body shrank and her face lengthened as her skin turned pearl white. All she could do was whimper in pain as her small white wings shredded her shirt.   
The pain stayed constant throughout the whole ordeal and Kaida didn't even realize that she had passed out until she struggled to sit up. The cave was empty and she tried to change herself back into a human...but it didn't work. Small pained chirps slipped from her mouth as she continued to try. Kaida realized then that the comet had passed. The curse was cast.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie Weasley had never been very good at listening. Which was why he was in Romania, even after his mother deliberately told him no. He chuckled as he thought about how angry she would be when she realized he wasn't coming home...well at least not for a few years.

He looked around the Romanian countryside with its bright shades of green, hearing the animals around chattering and held in a very...manly squeal before he took a deep breath, adjusted his bag on his shoulder and hiked up to the front gate of the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. The gate was huge and covered in designs that portrayed every type of creature housed there, not only the dragons. He reached up to press the visitors button and was greeted almost immediately by a bubbly voice.

"Hello! How can I help you?" The girl said and Charlie smiled.

"Um hello! My name is Charlie Weasley! I was hoping to start working here? I sent in an application." He said and heard papers moving on the other end before she made a noise of confirmation.

"Ah the red head! Alrighty! You are all clear to come on in! I will meet you there in just a moment!" She said and before Charlie could thank her the com cut off. He stood still for a moment before he began jumping up and down excitedly and cheering. 

"I got in! I got in! I got-" He stopped suddenly as he heard loud laughter and turned to the gate, seeing a girl with bright green eyes peeking through the now open door.

"Hello! You dont have to stop on my account! I'm Amber! I've been working here for about two years. Welcome to Romania!" She declared excitedly and pushed the door open completely, finally providing Charlie with a view of the area. He followed Amber inside and looked around. Inside the sanctuary was exactly the same terrain as the rest of the countryside, but Charlie noticed some definite differences. Firstly, there were scorch marks covering the majority of the ground, buildings, and trees. How nothing had burned down? Charlie had no idea, but he concluded it probably had to do with magic. Secondly, everyone they passed had a majority of different scrapes, bruises, and scars covering their bodies. Even Amber, who's entire left arm was a mess of burn scars. Amber caught him looking and smiled a little wider as her fingers brushed the burns.

"I see you noticed our dragon marks. They are little...souvenirs for working with the dragons. I got this while working with a Chinese Fireball named Leon. He sparks when excited." She said, proudly flaunting the scar. Charlie looked at the scar and chuckled, deciding then that she would be a great person to become friends with.

"Oh! And I must tell you. The mess hall, where we are headed, is where we eat every morning and night. No lunch served for us. That is after all right around feeding time." She continued and Charlie nodded, mentally documenting everything she said to write in his journal when he had the chance. He wanted to know everything he could about the place.

"How many species are here?" He asked and Amber took a moment to count on her fingers before she giggled and shrugged.

"Well, most dragons are migratory. So it changes all the time!" She said as they walked up the steps to the mess hall. It was a large building. Not quite as big as the dining hall at Hogwarts, but close to it. 

Charlie looked around excitedly as they walked through. The ceiling had been enchanted to look as if there were dragons resting on clouds above them with others flying past as well. He took it all in and Amber giggled as she watched him.

"It's cool, isn't it? Those are all the dragons that stay here. The ones on clouds are here now and the ones flying are those that move around more." She said and all he could do was nod, too distracted for words. People around the hall greeted them as they passed and Charlie smiled at them, looking around at the other dragon themed decor, everything from dragon scale wall mounts to intricate tapestries that rippled with magic. 

"Okay. This is the Care Taker's office. She will tell you where you will be working, sleeping, and the schedule around here. Then, she might just introduce you to the dragons. It is almost feeding time. See you later Charlie!" Amber said, pulling her short curly hair back into a bun before skipping away happily. 

"Bye Amber!" He called after her and turned back to the large amber door that led to the Care Taker. He knocked softly and heard a slightly raspy voice telling him to enter before he pushed the door open and walked inside. 

***

This room was decorated quite minimalistic, only a few pictures of men and women who greeted Charlie happily. Charlie waved back at them and looked at the large desk in the center of the room. There sat a small elderly black woman with short salt-and-pepper hair wearing a pair of stained overalls. Upon closer inspection, Charlie could see that her blue eyes were clouded over. 

"Hello, my name is-"

"Charles Weasley. Yes, I've been waiting to meet you. I was sure that your mother told you that you were not allowed to come, but I could be wrong." She said and Charlie blushed slightly.

"How did you know?" He asked and she smiled. 

"Don't worry, I won't send you home. We need all the help we can get. Please, take a seat." As she spoke, she motioned to a chair in front of the desk and Charlie sat, placing his bags on the ground beside him.

"People around here call me the Care Taker. My real name is a mouthful. But if you would like, you can call me Cea. Would you like to be called anything besides Charles?" She asked, picking up a tea cup and taking a small sip.

"Um yes. I like to go by Charlie." He said and Cea smiled wide, her grey blue eyes sparkling.

"Charlie. Well, welcome to the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. Let me give you the grand tour."

****

It was beautiful. The sanctuary was covered in the most beautiful old trees that danced in the chilled breeze and even though everyone and everything that they passed was scarred, the place was bustling with happiness. Charlie almost forgot that Cea was blind because she moved so fluidly and with such determined movements. She had been able to point out every single building and landmark that they passed.

"And finally, this is your cabin. Your roommate should be in the fields right now, but he will be around later. Put your things down and meet me back out here. It's almost lunch time." Cea said and Charlie nodded quickly and ran into the cabin, noting that the number was 934. The inside had two beds, two large chests, a circular window that overlooked a flower filled valley, and a door which Charlie assumed led to the bathroom. He placed his things on the clean bed and ran his had through his hair excitedly before walking back out. Cea was leaning against the small fence a few feet away, her face turned towards the door. 

"Ready?" She asked and Charlie nodded before blushing.

"Definitely." He said and she smiled before motioning for him to follow as she pushed herself from the fence. 

The walk was not that long to get to the dragons stomping ground and Charlie felt all the air leave his chest as he saw the clearing filled with all types and sizes of dragon. There were so many. 

"Don't fall behind now Charlie! You still have to meet them all!" Cea called back to him from the bottom of the hill and he raced down to get to her as a dragon screeched loudly. Charlie jumped as it suddenly landed in from of them and stomped over to a large pile of food. 

"Are all of them this big?" He asked, at awe at their size. Cea chuckled and shook her head.

"Not all of them. Our oldest dragon is only the size of a house cat." She said and walked over to where a gathering of people were. Charlie thought about a dragon being that small and chuckled.

"How cute." He whispered, looking around quickly at all of the different creatures. The people around them were not touching any of them, but as soon as Cea walked up, they all turned and looked. Charlie watched in surprise as Amber ran up holding a chunk of red meat.

"Charlie! Here! I want you to meet someone." She said and he took the meat in his hand before following her. She wove through the crowd of people and dragons, thinking about what a amazing place this was.

"Here we are! This is Specs. She is the oldest dragon here. She was actually here before the sanctuary even opened. Go ahead." Charlie looked where she was pointing and smiled as he saw the little dragon. 

She was perched on the top of a small boulder and Charlie could see that she was covered in scars. He could see why they called her Specs, because of bright red circles that encircled her bright amber eyes. Even though she was a bright pearly white, the tips of her feathered wings were gradient to a crimson red as well. She looked at him with an almost bored look and he held up the meat.

"Here you go." He said and Specs looked at him, then the meat before slowly reaching out and pulling it from his hand. Charlie watched as she placed it down in front of her and blew a small flame onto the top of it, turning the meat a deep brown before she turned it over and repeated the motion. 

"She is the only dragon I have ever seen do that. Doesn't like raw meat." Amber said and Charlie nodded, watching in awe as the small dragon bit off a small piece.

"You should pet her. Don't worry, she likes it." Amber said and Charlie looked at her before he looked back. 

"If you say so..." He mumbled and ran a hand through his already crazy hair before slowly reaching his hand out towards the eating dragon. Specs looked up at him and blinked slowly before she held still.

"It's okay...I don't want to hurt you." He whispered and the dragon suddenly made eye contact with him before closing her eyes and resting the top of her head in his palm. Charlie barely registered Amber's gasp of shock before he slowly hand his hand along the small dragons head and neck. Her scales were smooth and even though she was covered in a large scar along her shoulder blade, it was unblemished.

"You are just the cutest little dragon, aren't you?" He whispered, scratching behind her ear. Suddenly Specs snapped her head around and bit his palm. Charlie yelped and jumped back, clutching the torn hand to his chest as his blood rushed forward.

"Okay. Not cute. Very ferocious." He said and looked at Amber as she laughed.

"Wow! That was funny! No one has ever actually gotten to touch her before." She said and Charlie looked down at his bleeding palm. The gash was from the top near his pointer finger down to the very bottom of his palm, almost at the bend in his wrist. It sat at about an inch wide and Charlie smiled.

"Well. Got me good, didn't you Specs?" He looked up at the dragon and was surprised to see something that confused him. She almost had a look on guilt in her eyes before she saw him looking and her small forked tongue flicked out and she flew away. 

"She stuck her tongue out at you...I have never seen a dragon do that." Amber said, blinking slowly before looking at his palm.

"Well, let's get you patched up." She said and Charlie nodded, still watching the small dragon dissappear into the trees.


	3. Chapter 3

Charlie sighed as he threw himself onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His hand didn't hurt as much as it did earlier in the day, but everyone he had passed had been so happy for him in receiving his first scar.

"Hey, you must be Charlie! I'm Theodore, but you can call me Theo. Or Teddy." Standing in the doorway was a short boy, probably about five foot three. His brown hair was slicked back out of his face, only a single curled strand hanging precariously over his left eye. He was covered in dirt, head to toe.

"Uh, yes. That's me. Are you my cabin mate?" He asked and the boy smiled excitedly as he tried to rub some of the dirt from his hands on his equally dirty pants.

"I am indeed! Say, are you from London? I've always wanted to go there. But I love dragons, you know? Always wanted to take care of them." Charlie smiled as the boy continued talking, enjoying the chatter.

"I see you got your first scar! Who'd you get it from? Specs?" Theo was staring at his wrapped palm and Charlie nodded.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked, scooting back in his bed to lean against the headboard. 

Theo laughed as he picked up a towel, running it down his face. As soon as the mud was washed away, Charlie could see the large scar that covered the boy's face. It started right under his left eye and crossed just under his nose before cutting over his mouth and disappearing under his shirt collar.

"I know because everyone gets initiated that way. I was the last person who it happened to. She doesn't like me very much." He shrugged and finished washing himself off before he looked at Charlie again.

"Hey, do you want to do something fun?" He asked and Charlie smiled wide.

"What do you have in mind?"

****

"Is this a good idea?" Charlie asked, following the glow of Theo's wand as they walked into the forest just beyond their cabin.

"Probably not! But I thought you would like to see something that only a few people know about. Now hurry up! We might miss it!" Theo whisper yelled, making Charlie chuckle.

"I'm right behind you. Where are we even going?" He asked and when Theo simply sent a smirk back at him, Charlie felt his excitement grow.

"Keep quiet." Theo whispered before he stopped at a wall of vines. He grabbed onto it and pulled it to the side, revealing the most beautiful clearing Charlie had ever seen. 

It was so serene, quiet in the moonlight. There was a giant waterfall, seeming to fall silently from the cliff. It led into a river that rushed off into many different directions, the river beds leading into flowers of over a thousand different types and colors.

"Bloody hell." Charlie whispered before he was pulled down to a crouch, Theo shushing him.

"Look." He pointed towards the treeline and Charlie squinted, noticing what he thought was a shooting star. But as he watched, he realized what it really was.

"Is that-"

"Specs. Keep watching."

Charlie watched as she flew gracefully into the clearing, circling a few times before shooting quickly through the waterfall.

Charlie gasped, expecting her to crash into it, but she disappeared.

"Cool, right? She comes back here every night. I'm pretty sure her cave is behind the waterfall." Theo explained and Charlie smiled.

"That was so cool." He whispered, watching the waterfall for a moment longer before he looked back at Theo.

"Did you notice she flew through the reflection of the moon?" He asked and Theo tilted his head in confusion before looking back at the waterfall.

"Huh...I guess she did. I never noticed that before. We should get back." 

***

"Amber! Can I ask you a question?" Charlie asked, running into the dining hall the next morning. All night his mind had been coming up with question after question about Specs. What type of dragon she was, where she came from, why she seemed to be the only one, why she liked her meat cooked.

"Oh, hey Charlie! Sure thing. I was just sitting down to eat, ask away." She said, her Australian accent thicker in the early morning.

"Okay, so, what do you know about Specs?" He asked, sitting beside her.

Amber looked at him before she nodded, taking a bite of the scone on her plate.

"Well. We don't know a whole lot. No one has really taken the time to study her. She doesn't exactly trust anyone." Amber then turned back to her food, both of them quiet for a moment.

"What if...what if I study her?" Charlie asked, looking over at her as she blinked before nodding.

"That is a great idea Charlie. Do you know how?" She asked and he opened his mouth to respond, a sarcastic comment about 'How hard could it be?' before he decided against it.

"I do not." He mumbled and she chuckled, knocking their shoulders together.

"Well, it's a good thing you've got me!" Then she stood, motioning for him to follow her. "And the library."

****

The library was the biggest building in the sanctuary. Two stories tall with a basement and an attic. Floor to ceiling shelves filled with books on every single creature imaginable, magic or otherwise.

"Dragons is all on level two. This is going to be a very long day." Amber said, rubbing her hands together as they looked around at the maze of knowledge. A small elderly woman walked by slowly, pushing a cart of books that wobbled and threatened to fall over with each push.

"Oh, hello dears. I'm Mrs. Veteris." Her eyes crinkled behind her circular glasses. "Tell me if you need anything." Then she turned a corner and was gone.

"Isn't she the cutest?" Amber asked and Charlie nodded immediately before they each set off to find out what they could.

It took an hour for Charlie to find the list of all dragons charted to come in and out of the sanctuary. It took another two hours to find anything about white dragons. 

Charlie continued walking down the halls, glancing at the names of some of the books around him before he realized he was at the end of the room. He sighed and turned around, about to walk back when he noticed probably the oldest book there. It was a discolored leather-bound journal with the entails K.S. on the spine.

Charlie grabbed the book and pulled it out, careful not to tear the pages. The cover had a small dragon etched into it, the eyes colored a bright red. He opened the cover and his eyes widened as he read the words there. 

'This journal belongs to Kaida Scamander.' 

"Kaida Scamander? Wasn't she killed in New York? How did her journal get here?" He whispered, flipping to the next page to continue to read.

****

"Amber? Look what I found." Charlie called, seeing the girl walk out of the field. She smiled at him and walked to his side.

"Hey Charlie. I thought you had left the library hours ago. What did you find?" She asked and he smiled, holding up the book.

"It's the journal of Kaida Scamander. I think that Specs belonged to her over seventy years ago." Charlie said and Amber was quiet for a moment before laughing.

"Really Charlie? What makes you think that?" She asked and he chuckled.

"I'm kidding. But I think that Kaida knew about the species. The librarian said I could keep the journal since she didn't even know it was there. Said something about buttercream pie too, but that isn't as important." He explained, following her as they walked towards the mess hall. 

"Are you kidding? Her buttercream pie is to die for. But that is really cool. Wait, I thought she died in New York. How did her journal get here?" Amber asked and he flipped to the last page. 

"The last entry is written as she was riding the boat to New York. But she talks about Specs by name a lot throughout the journal. Like, here, 'the small white dragon.'" He pointed to the words and Amber hummed in thought.

"Weird...maybe the Care Taker would know why it's here." She offered, motioning over to a table near the front of the room where the Care Taker sat, surrounded by other higher ups from the different areas of the sanctuary. 

Charlie thanked her before he stood and walked to the table, clasping the book in his hands.

"Good evening Cea. I had a question about a book I found." He said, smiling at the older woman as she nodded.

"Of course dear. What is it about?" She asked and he told her about what he had found.

"Kaida Scamander...yes...let's talk in my office." She stood and Charlie followed her to her office, where she told him to sit.

"I am going to tell you something that not many people know, alright?" Cea asked, tilting her head towards him as he agreed.

"Kaida Scamander helped open this place. She arrived here one day, only showing up after the sun had set, but she knew more about dragons than any other person in the world. Almost as if she had lived with them." She paused to take a deep breath. "But then she...disappeared. People have said that they have seen a woman walking around in the forest who will ask any traveler where the nearest town is. 

But she only comes out at night, so many people think her to be a ghost." 

Charlie blinked a few times as the words processed.

"So she didn't die in New York? How did this journal get here?" He asked, scooting forward in his seat.

"She did not die there. She came to Romania. Then she disappeared. No one knows where she went." Then she sat back, smiling. 

"That can't be it. What happened to her?" He asked, looking back down at the journal. She didn't seem like the type of person to just dissappear.

"I couldn't tell you, dear. She was a mysterious girl." She reached into an open drawer and pulled out a field journal, holding it out for him.

"Here. For your dragon studies." 

Charlie smiled and thanked her, taking it in his hands before he stood to leave. He couldn't stop thinking about Kaida, but he was excited to learn what he could about the mysterious dragon, Specs.

****

For three weeks, Charlie followed the white dragon, charting her eating patterns, her interactions with other dragons, and her interactions with humans. At night, he would follow her to the clearing, where he would watch as she circled in front of the waterfall before soaring inside. He charted the fact that she only flew through the reflection of the moon, and on some days when the moon was not present, she flew through without waiting.

"What is the correlation? Why does she only fly through the moon's reflection? What is her cave like?" Charlie mumbled to himself as he stomped back to the cabin. Then suddenly, he had a terribly wonderful idea. 

"All I have to do is wait until morning."


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie was out of the cabin by the time that the sun had rose in the sky. He had been unable to sleep all night, thinking up the endless possibilities of what he might find in the cave. 

Maybe it was going to be a trove of gold. Or more dragons. He hoped it wasn't the dragons. He wasn't exactly fireproof. 

As the clearing came into view, Charlie crouched, watching the waterfall for any signs of the dragon. She was usually gone by daybreak, all he had to do now was find a way up.

After a moment of examining the waterfall, he noticed a path that snaked up the wall, seeming to end at the edge of the waterfall.

"Perfect." Charlie whispered, walking across the clearing. 

The path seemed to be well trodden and he wondered if Specs had used it at times to walk to and from the clearing. 'But why would a dragon need to walk when it has wings?' 

Charlie took a deep breath before he walked around the edge of the waterfall, the cave coming into focus.

"What the-" There was no treasure, not even any dragons. Actually, it looked like a dragon didn't even live there. The entire inside of the cave was decorated with homely items; books, a couch, even a bed. 

It was as if she lived as a human.

Charlie stepped out of the cave then, walking back to the clearing to analyze if he had found the right cave. Then he was reminded of what Cea had told him. About a ghost that roamed the forest at night. 

He quickly ran back up to the cave, taking in the room around him. He walked further in, pulling out his journal to write down all that he saw. 

"The cave, formally thought to have been the home of the dragon Specs, seems to be owned by someone entirely different. Maybe a researcher?" He spoke the words aloud to himself before he looked up, glancing around at the clean space. Beside the bed sat an old writers desk, which on top of it rested a book. He stepped closer to inspect it and his eyes widened as he saw what was written on the open page.

"I can't remember who I am. I don't even know how long I have been here. My only companion is Specs." 

****

"Hey, Charlie, where did you go so early this morning? I got a little worried when you didn't show up for breakfast. It was bacon and eggs." Theodore declared, catching up to Charlie as he walked back to the cabin.

"Oh, I was examining Specs' cave. I'm going back there later. I think I need to see what she is like at night." He explained and Theo whistled a tune of surprise.

"At night? But, what if you get caught? She could really hurt you, man." The brunette said, motioning to his scar that the small dragon had given him. 

Charlie paused before shrugging, even though his heart was going a million miles a minute.

"I'll be fine. I found the perfect place to hide." He sent a smile Theo's way before they both reached the cabin, where he grabbed a sweater that his mother had knit for him for Christmas last year. "Plus, I think she has a keeper. I found signs of human life. Clothes, books, even a bed." 

Theo clicked his tongue as he watched Charlie grab a small tote bag, filling it with some snacks.

"Maybe she killed the person who lived there before and took it over." He offered and Charlie chuckled, walking past the boy.

"There was a note, didn't look aged at all. And if there is someone out there? They are all alone." Charlie said and stepped out into the chilled Romanian air. 

"Okay! But if you get killed I will be super bummed!" Theo yelled after him as Charlie began to walk into the forest, his wand shining brightly in front of him. 

He turned as he reached the tree line and laughed. "I would be pretty bummed too! See you in the morning!"

****

Charlie only had an hour until the moon rose, so he was quick to reach the cave. He paused a moment in the mouth of the cave, amazed at the natural light source that came from glow worms in the stone of the ceiling. He almost wrote it down in his journal before he shook his head, looking for the alcove that he had found behind the old couch. If he sat with his back against it, he would be invisible to anyone or anything that came into the cave.

The minutes passed slowly, almost agonizingly slow and Charlie suppressed a yawn behind his hand. The moon had rose and so far there was no sign of the dragon or the person who he was sure lived here as well. Just as he was about to give up, adjusting his position to stand, he heard a splash, like something passing through the waterfall. 

His heartbeat quickened as he peered over the back of the couch, seeing the dragon shake herself before she walked a few feet further into the cave, stopping over a circle he had charted earlier. Charlie thought that it had been paint, but a chill ran through him as he remembered that it was blood. He couldn't tell how long it had been there, but somehow it was still bright red. Almost as if it had been spilled minutes before he had seen it. 

A loud crack pulled him from his thoughts. He shifted his attention back to the dragon and his eyes widened as he watched her wings shrink into her body, her skin darkening and her face changing, becoming human. He looked away then, rubbing his eyes to try and distinguish if he was just hallucinating, but when he looked back, the dragon was gone. In her place stood a woman with long, unruly white hair that cascaded down her back, ending right below her butt. 

Charlie felt his face redden, making him pull his gaze from the woman as his thoughts ran wildly about his mind.

"There is no human that lives with Specs...she is the human." He whispered to himself and his eyes widened even more as she turned, her eyes immediately catching his. He squeaked in surprise before scampering from behind the couch, trying to make a break for the cave opening. He was almost out when he was pushed to the ground roughly, the air knocked out of him as his journals skidded away into the cave.

"Who are you?" The woman demanded, and he opened his eyes then, feeling her sitting on his back. 

"Y-your-" He tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. She made a noise in her throat that he thought might have been a growl before he was forced onto his back. He looked up at her, keeping eye contact as she glared down at him.

"I said, 'who are you?'" She asked again and he felt like a fist had closed around his throat, making it impossible to speak.

"Wait, aren't you that boy from a few days ago?" She asked, recognition passing over her as she suddenly grabbed Charlie's hand, bringing it up to her face. She pulled the bandage off of the still healing hand and smiled as she looked over the gash.

"You are! What was your name again? Chip? No! It was Charlie." She let go of his hand then, leaning closer to his face as he blushed a deeper red.

"Why aren't you speaking?" She asked and poked his cheek softly, sending a shudder through him. "Can you not speak? Are you a mute?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, making her hair fall off her shoulder and pool on his chest.

"Y-you're...naked!" Charlie spoke then, his voice cracking as he snapped his eyes shut. 

"I'm wha-oh! Naked. Right, I forgot that was a thing that most people are not okay with. Wait one moment." She said, her tone light with amusement before her weight was gone from his chest. Charlie took a deep breath and sat up, keeping his eyes closed as he heard her moving about the cave.

"So, what are you doing here?" She asked suddenly, making him jump slightly before he took a shaky breath.

"U-uh, I was curious about Specs. Or you, I guess. It's kind of confusing." He said and she laughed.

"You're telling me. All I know about myself is that I am a dragon during the day and a female human during the night. I don't know who I was before or why I am like this." She was quiet for a moment before Charlie suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. He screamed in surprise as she started laughing.

"Wow! You sure are jumpy. I'm dressed by the way." She said and he opened his eyes. He looked at her and was dumbfounded for a second as he took in her bright, excited eyes and the show stopping smile. Then he noticed the extra things about her. Firstly, she had horns. Big white horns, exactly like the ones that Specs had. Secondly, her arms and part of her chest were decorated with gleaming white scales, reflecting the light of the cave in thousands of colors. And thirdly, her idea of clothing was much too small, only covering her chest and the top of her legs.

His cheeks reddened again and he looked away as she walked over to the couch.

"What made you so curious? You do know that you shouldn't go into question dragon's lair, right?" She asked and he stood, walking over to where his journals had landed, picking them up and dusting them as he smiled slightly.

"Well, I guess it was the fact that you were the only type of dragon that people knew nothing about. And I got really curious when I found this." He held up the journal from Kaida then, glad that it had not sustained any damage.

"A journal? What does that have to do with me?" The woman asked and Charlie chuckled before taking a seat beside her.

"It's a journal written by someone named Kaida Scamander. She talks about you in it. I think that she knew you." He handed the journal to her and she looked at the cover before opening it and beginning to read. 

Charlie took the time to watch her as she read, seeing how she reacted to some things and how her fingers danced over the page. Then her eyes snapped up to meet his gaze, the look behind them almost one of fear.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned. Maybe the book had hurt her somehow, telling her something about her past that she couldn't remember. Or that she didn't want to.

"I- I think that this is about me." She whispered and he nodded.

"Well, yeah. She does state the name Specs a whole lot throughout the writing." Charlie offered and she shook her head, her hair falling in front of her eyes before she pushed it away, adjusting the bright red glasses at the tip of her nose.

"I mean, I think that I am Kaida Scamander." She said and looked back at him, her eyes wide.

Charlie gaped at her for a moment, all thoughts derailed.

"You...are...Kaida?" He asked and she nodded, looking back at the book in her hands.

"This is my writing. I know because I have been writing every day in all of these journals." She motioned around to the books in the room. "But I could never remember who I was." 

Charlie couldn't wrap his head around it. How could this, a dragon-human-woman, be Kaida Scamander? She didn't look any older than he did!

"B-but...how?" He asked and she smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't know! Maybe I was cursed or something...from what I can tell in this book, I went to a school of magic." She turned the book a few times, before she paused. Her fingers toyed with the edge of the journal and she peeled it back, revealing a hidden message.

"My name is Kaida Scamander. If you find this message, it means that I have been lost. Help bring me back. Help me find my memories. Help me break the curse." The girl read the words aloud and lifted up a picture that lay face down beneath them. Staring up at them was a picture of the girl, wearing Slytherin robes and holding a wand proudly.

"Well, I guess that is the answer to whether or not you are." Charlie whispered and she nodded, analyzing the picture closely.

"I am Kaida Scamander..." She said and looked at him, her eyes bright with tears.

"And I'm freaking cursed."


	5. Chapter 5

It was morning when Charlie finally returned to the cabin. And even though he was very tired, he couldn't wipe the huge smile off of his face. After all, he had met a girl. Allbeit a cursed girl who turned into a dragon as soon as the sun rose, but still!

"Charlie! You're alive! She didn't kill you, I see." Theo cried, looking up from making his bed as the red head walked through the doorway.

"Of course I'm alive. A face like mine wouldn't die that fast." Charlie said and struck a noble pose as the brunette snorted.

"Uh-huh, sure man." Theo said, standing straighter as they heard the bell chime from the dining hall, declaring that breakfast was ready.

"You go ahead mate, I think I'm gonna take a nap." Charlie said, about to flop onto his bed before the boy was pulled out of the cabin.

"No way! You need your breakfast!" Theo yelled, happily ignoring each of Charlie's attempts to fight back.

"How are you so tiny, but so strong?" Charlie cried, fighting to get back to his bed as Theo chuckled.

"I was a beater in Quiddich! Gotta have strong forearms for that, my friend." Then they were into the hall, all hopes of Charlie returning to bed dashed.

***

"Find anything interesting in the cave?" Theo asked as they walked through the fields towards the feeding area.

"Oh...um, nope." Charlie stuttered, trying to come up with any reason as to why he hadn't seen anything.

"Nothing? What about the girl?" Theo asked, his tone filled with disbelief as Charlie laughed awkwardly.

"Must have been left over from before she moved in, just as you said mate." He said and Theo laughed, shaking his head.

"Fine, don't tell me but-"He stopped talking as they arrived at the feeding area. Charlie followed the boy's gaze and his eyes widened as he saw what he was looking at. What everyone was looking at.

Specs sat on her usual tree stump, but she was reading a book. It was open in front of her and her nose was practically buried in the crease. Charlie cursed softly and walked up to her, stopping about a foot away as not to spook her.

"Specs. What are you doing?" He asked and the little dragon snorted softly, almost laughing at him as she motioned to the book. He stepped closer to see what the book was and he swallowed as she whipped her head to face him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Hey, hey...it's alright. I just want to see what you're reading." He said and held completely still before she scooted to the side slightly, allowing him access to the book. It was one of her journals, the one that they had spent the whole night searching for. It was the oldest one out of every single book there, so old in fact that Kaida couldn't remember writing it. 

'Don't read it until I get back tonight, okay?' He'd pleaded, watching the sun begin to come over the tree-line. 

'I promise Charles. Now get out of here. You don't want to miss breakfast.' She'd said and he cursed himself for believing her. He'd been too damn tired to realize that she would not wait for him.

"Uh...Charlie? Can I talk to you for a second?" He heard, pulling him out of his thoughts as he realized he was still crouched beside the small dragon, talking to her like a crazy person. He quickly shot up then, his hand making a quick grab for the book, which he then stuffed into his coat pocket.

"Sure Theo..." Charlie said, following the shorter boy away from the group of people that were looking at Specs in wonder.

"First of all, why was she reading a book? I've never seen dragons read before! I didn't even think they understood English!" Theo had begun ranting as soon as they had stopped walking. "And second! Why were you talking to her like she is a human? Were you actually right?" He stopped to look at Charlie then.

"Charlie? Is she trained by humans?" Charlie looked at the boy and simply couldn't deny him the truth.

"Alright..." The brunette nodded, practically jumping up and down in excitement.

"Okay...so she wasn't trained by humans, necessarily...she is actually..." He took a moment to try and word it in a way that wouldn't make him sound completely insane, but nothing came up. "She is a cursed witch who I think is Kaida Scamamder." 

Theo was quiet for some time, staring into Charlie's eyes with a blank expression.

"She is Kaida Scamamder...The sister of the most famous magizoologist in the world...who disappeared around seventy years ago...is cursed to be a dragon..." Theo spoke slowly, taking his time to piece together the ludicrous information that Charlie had just told him. Then his face split into a giant grin, his scar crinkling slightly.

"Sounds wicked. So how do we break the curse?" Charlie was stunned, unable to believe that Theo actually believed him.

"U-uh...I don't know exactly...Kaida found this journal from a long time ago in her cave. We should see what's in it."

***

The boys waited until after dinner to read the journal. They ran from the dining hall back to their cabin, quick to close all the curtains and lock the doors.

"Alright! Let's crack the case open." Theo declared, jumping onto his bed and rubbing his hands together in excitement. Charlie chuckled and sat beside him, pulling the journal from his pocket to look over it.

"Okay, but whatever we find in here can't be shared with anyone else. We don't want to be called loonies." Theo held up his hand, three fingers up, his thumb and pinkie tucked into his palm as his other hand rested over his heart.

"Scouts honor." He declared and Charlie raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"What about...I swear on my boyfriend's blessed heart that no one will ever know about Kaida or anything we find in this book?" He offered and Charlie nodded, opening the book as gingerly as he could.

"Wait, I think I hear something." Theo whispered and Charlie look up, also hearing it. It sounded like something tapping on the window. 

"It's probably just a tree." Charlie mumbled and they turned back to the journal. Although, right before Charlie had a chance to read anything aloud, the window was smashed open. The boys each let out squeals of terror as a ball of white landed on the floor in front of them. 

Specs sent each of them a look of disbelief before she looked towards the window she had crashed through. Charlie cursed as he waited for his heart beat to slow before he stood and walked to the dragon.

"What the bloody hell, Kaida? You scared the devil out if us!" He scolded, but she ignored him, looking to the still open journal that rested on the bed beside Theo. She took a step towards the bed before she yelped, picking her foot of the ground and showing a gash along the underside. Charlie was quick to grab a first aid kit and pick her up, resting her on his bed. He wrapped it as gently as he could, careful to not cause her any more pain and as soon as he was done, he realized what he had done. He took a step back as Kaida looked at her wrapped arm, then back to him.

"I feel a whole lot of mixed emotions in this room right now." Theo said and Charlie jumped slightly, having forgotten the boy was there. "Oh, and this is yours I believe." Theo held out the journal to the dragon, who looked at it, then him and took it between her jaws.

"She won't be able to talk to us unless we go back to her cave. It's part of the curse, I think." Charlie said, willing his cheeks to not become red. Kaida chirped in what he assumed was agreement before she jumped into Charlie and lounged herself across his shoulders and behind his neck. The redhead blushed then, unsure what to feel about it as she snuggled her small head into his neck. 

"Okay, let's get a move on then!" Theo cried, pulling Charlie from his mixed thoughts before the boy was out the door, marching his way into the forest with a tomato red boy following. 

***

"Theo, by the way, don't freak out when she changes back. He comes back...naked." Charlie said as they waited inside of the cave, Kaida having flown around to go through the waterfall herself.

"Man, my heart belongs to someone else. And I really don't think she is my type anyways." He said and looked back down at the pad of paper he had brought with him to take any notes on things that might be important.

Charlie was about to stand to see what was taking so long when there was a splash, followed by a thump by the entrance. Kaida changed back, her horns glistening from the water, the scales on her shoulders gleaming.

"Alright, let's see what we can find in that journal, yeah?" She asked, walking up to the two boys. Charlie looked at the ceiling as she got closer.

"Kaida, we talked about this." He squeaked out, a blush trekking it's way up his neck and to his cheeks. Kaida sighed and rolled her eyes, walking over to the dresser and pulling on some clothes quickly.

"There, you pansy. I'm dressed now. I don't understand why it means anything, he didn't freak out." She said, motioning over to Theo, who was just looking up from the journal.

"He's gay!" Charlie said, trying to protect his pride.

"Gay? What in Merlin's beard does that mean?" She asked and then she stopped. "Wait! You're attracted to men! Like Dumbledore." Kaida was smiling then, showing the boys her slightly sharpened teeth.

"I am! I didn't know that the headmaster of Hogwarts was gay though. That's pretty awesome." Theo said, laughter alighting his face.

"Wait, Dumbledore is headmaster? He was my Defense against the Dark Arts teacher." She said and flopped onto the couch between them. Charlie took a breath as he tried to stabilize his heart rate then he leaned forward to catch her eye. 

"Don't worry Kaida. We will break this curse and get you your life back." He stood then, feeling confidence flood though his body. "Let's get to studying!" 

Kaida and Theo looked at each other briefly before they both stood.

"I wouldn't call it studying, but who cares."

***

"It's been two hours and we haven't found anything!" Kaida whined, throwing down one of the books in frustration. Charlie sighed from his spot on the couch and flipped the page, not looking up from the book in his hands as Theo shifted slightly.

"Yeah, Theo fell asleep thirty minutes ago. I think he wasn't able to find anything in the journal. But you can take a look from his if you'd like." He said and Kaida stood, trying not to push over any of the book stacks that she had created around her. She stopped in front of the curled up boy and frowned slightly at the large scar on his face, remembering a distant memory of attacking him on his first day. For some reason the humans always sent the new ones to see her, but they always touched her. Don't they know by now that she didn't like to be touched? Then again, they all seemed to enjoy her hurting them. She looked at Charlie then, eyeing the scar on his palm. 

"Charlie? Does your hand hurt?" She asked, stepping close to him, leaning over him to look at his face over the book. His eyes widened as he sat further back on the couch, an almost ever-present blush on his face. 

"M-my what?" He asked and she rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand to show him the scar along his palm. 

"Your hand, Charles. Does. It. Hurt?" Kaida said it slower the second time, unsure if he had even heard her the first time. He looked at the scar and flexed his fingers, his eyebrows drawing together in thought.

"Um...not really. Some times it feels a little tight, but no actual pain. Why do you ask?" He said and looked back up at her, catching her gaze. Something shifted in his gaze, making him look like one of the children she had met in the town a few years ago. A little girl had given another little girl a bunch of cherries. It hadn't made any sense then, and it didn't make any sense now. 

"I don't want your cherry." She said and watched as his face become even more red. 

"What the bloody hell do you mean by that?" The red headed boy screeched, his voice higher pitched than the usual soft British that he always spoke in. "I-I don't want to give you m-my cherry! I don't even have it to give!" 

Kaida tilted her head in confusion at his words. "Then why do keep looking at me like you do?"

"I promise I don't!" Charlie stuttered and she sat back, confused.

"What the hell did I wake up to? What's this about you not wanting to pop Charlie's cherry?" Theo asked, his voice groggy as he woke up.

"Well, I told him I didn't want to and he freaked out. You looked like you wanted me to, you git." Kaida growled, looking at the blushing redhead as Theo laughed.

"Okay, Charlie, you just have to understand that Kaida doesn't want to pop your cherry. No use in getting upset about it!" The brunette said and Charlie looked at him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he scrambled for words.

"That isn't important. Let's keep reading." Kaida said, finally changing the subject and releasing Charlie from his torture. 

They all returned to their readings as Charlie tried to calm his racing heart and Kaida tried to piece together the confusing reactions Charlie had towards her. It made her feel something...something distinctively human. Her eyebrows drew together as the word for her feelings came to her. 'Annoyance. That's it.' 

***

Charlie looked up from his journal as he heard Kaida sigh, again. She pushed aside the piles of books and walked to the old, stained bed in the corner. He watched as she stepped up onto the bed and took a small spin before curling up into a ball on the bed.

Charlie watched her as she got comfortable and his heart fluttered. 

'Pull yourself together, mate. You aren't a love-sick little boy anymore. You're a badass dragon researcher!' He scolded himself, trying to push his conflicting feelings away. But they stayed put, making him notice little things about the girl.

He watched as her face twitched, a small smile tugging at her lips. Charlie smiled as he watched before a stab of guilt shot through him. 

'Stop watching her, you git! You're being creepy!' He quickly looked away, silently scolding himself again as his eye caught on the rising sun. He now knew that the moment the sunlight hit the waterfall, Kaida would turn back into her dragon form. He took a deep breath before looking back towards the sleeping girl. He felt the intense desire to tuck her in, but he pushed it away as the sun rose over the tree line. 

He watched, a mix of awe and horror on his face as she shifted back with a small squeak of discomfort.

"I promise I will help you break this curse, Kaida. I promise."

***

Days had passed since they had found anything. The days were filled with Charlie and Theo talking endlessly about the reasons why she could have been cursed or what kind of curse it even was, and the nights were filled with endless searching of the journals. They had read so many that Kaida could almost quote them exactly. She groaned as the sun finally set, the feeling of the wind under her wings rejuvenating her tired body. Below she saw the two boys walking towards her cave, speaking to each other quietly.

"What could it all mean?" Charlie asked as he hopped over a fallen tree, looking back at the brunette. 

"I think that it means she fancies you, my friend." Theo said, struggling to hop over the same log and ending up rolling over it, pretty ungracefully.

"What? That's rubbish, mate. She couldn't fancy me. You see how she treats me." Charlie said and helped the other boy stay upright as they came into the clearing. 

Kaida rolled her eyes as they came to a stop, mentally going through everything she could have done wrong to make the boys think she, of all people, fancied the redheaded boy.   
"Come on, 'mate'. Amber totally has a thing for you! When I found out that Finn liked me, I was so upset that I hadn't realized it sooner! And then he said that he had been flirting with me for months!" Theo said and Kaida let out a small squeak of surprise. What was this "Amber" and why did she think that she could take her...Kaida stopped that train of thought with a growl as she landed in front of the boys, tucking her wings close to her body. The glare she sent their way stopped them in their tracks before either of them had a chance to continue towards the cave.

"Oh! Good evening Kaida! We were just on our way to the cave. Everything alright?" Theo asked, a calm smile on his face. 

Kaida hissed in annoyance before turning her glare towards Charlie. The redheaded boy immediately stood a little straighter, breaking eye contact before she stuck her tongue out at him and took off, sailing through the waterfall and into her cave. 

***

The book landed on Charlie's lap, causing him to jolt out of his train of thought. He looked up at his attacker and fought a smile at the intense look Kaida was giving him. 

She pointed to a section before she sat beside him, her thigh resting flush against his. The smile was gone then, leaving poor, lovesick Charlie to deal with the presence of a sassy, almost murderous dragon-woman all by himself. He sent a look over to where Theo sat, blissfully unaware of the torment Charlie was feeling.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Kaida asked, poking her fingertip in between two of his ribs. Charlie quickly looked back, squirming under her scrutiny.

"Sorry, continue." He said and was glad that she only raised an eyebrow before continuing about what she had found. Charlie watched her read over the words, trying desperately to listen to each of the very important points she was bringing up. 

Then he started noticing things about her. Like how she bit her lip when she was thinking. Not a lot, but just the corner. And when she spoke about something she thought was important, her eyes glowed and sparkled like the night sky.

He then spent about three minutes trying to determine her smell. Part of him knew that it was weird he was focusing so hard on what she smelled like, but something else in him had deemed it important, so who was he to deny himself that? 

"Lilacs and freshly cut grass." He whispered, suddenly realizing what it was. A sense of pride washed over him as he finally put a name to it, remembering all the times he had worked with his mother in the garden. Lilacs were his favorite to work with. 

"What the bloody hell are you going on about?" Kaida asked, pulling him from his thoughts. She looked at him like he was crazy...and maybe he was. 'Great job, Charlie. You focused on her smell like a git and now she thinks you're totally off your rocker!'

"U-um...you smell like Lilacs and freshly cut grass." He explained and she stood, a look of disbelief on her face. 

"What does it matter what I smell like? I was telling you something quite important, you ninny!" She whacked him in the arm with the journal before stalking away, muttering about boys and their stupid, wild rose and rain smell.

Charlie fought the smile that tried to come up, but he was sure he had seen her blush, so the smile came out anyways.


	6. Chapter 6

Kaida handed the book to Charlie after a while of time away, pointing to the words that stood out the most.

"It says here that a curse like this has to be broken by finding the relics that put it in place and by performing the spell backwards." 

Charlie read it over once more and cursed softly, standing and running a hand through his hair.

"You wrote about a comet. The Haley's comet. It only passes the earth every seventy-five years..." He trailed off, putting it all together in his head as he paced back and forth across the cave floor.

"And? What about it?" Kaida asked, her tone filled with impatience as a pit began to grow in her stomach.

"It's been seventy four years. Which means that we only have a few months before you won't be able to break it for another seventy-five." Charlie mumbled, stopping in front of her once more as he looked at her. "That, or it won't be able to be broken at all."

Kaida sat silently for a moment before standing and taking the book back from him, avoiding his attempts to make eye contact as she looked towards the entrance of the cave.

"It's almost the morning." She said, obvious sadness in her voice as Charlie nodded.

"Okay...of course. We should get back." He said, trying to not feel dishertened by her reaction. If anything he was hoping she was going to invite him along for an intense search for the lost relics. Theo stood from the couch then, quick to follow Charlie out just as the sun was rising over the ridge.

***

Two days. 

Two days without any sign of the white haired woman or the white scaled dragon. Charlie felt like he was seeing signs of her everywhere, but every time he thought that she was sitting on a tree stump or flying overhead, he was wrong. 

Charlie trudged into the cabin, his teeth clenched in annoyance.

"I should go check on her." He decided, about to turn back to the door before it swung open, revealing Theo, once agin covered in pounds of mud. That seemed to be his constant state.

"Oh, hey man! Glad you are still here! You won't believe what I just saw!" Theo said, marching through the room to the bathroom. Charlie tried not to roll his eyes in mock annoyance before he quickly waved his wand over the mess that his roommate left, clearing the trail of mud.

"Well? Tell me?" Charlie demanded, trying to stay patient as he watched the sun set through the front window. 

"Oh! My bad." Theo was silent as she changed, a soft whoosh telling Charlie that he was using the same spell he had just used. "Kaida was with the Curiator."

Charlie choked on his breath then, turning towards the smaller boy as he emmerged from the bathroom. "Excuse me?"

"Yep! I was just walking back here and passed the Curator. I waved, and immediately felt like a complete idiot for waving to a blind woman, when she suddenly turned and there, sitting on her shoulder, was Kaida! She had one of the journals in her mouth and even winked at me!" He chuckled then, but Charlie was having a hard time seeing what was so funny about the whole thing.

"And then the Curator looked me dead in the eyes, which again I would never expect from a blind woman and said," He cleared his voice then, speaking the next words in probably the worst old woman impersonation ever, "'tell Charles that Kaida has news about how the journey is going to begin.'"

Charlie stood quietly for a moment before grabbing his jumper and racing through the door, his heart racing in what he believed to be excitement, but what a part of him knew was so much more.

***

The Curator confused Kaida, to say the least. How in Merlin's beard had a blind woman become the person running a dragon sanctuary?

"You are more than welcome to sit, little one. It has been a while since I have felt a curse this strong. I just don't know why I never saw it before." She laughed then, repeating the part about seeing again to herself.

Kaida chirped in reply, settling herself in the large chair in front of the desk just as the sun set over the horizon. 

At the same moment that Kaida had fully transformed back into her mostly human self, the door was pushed open suddenly, revealing a very disheveled and even brighter faced Charlie. 

The boy took one look at Kaida's entirely bare shoulder and quickly smacked his hand to his face, covering his eyes as the Curator chuckled. 

"Well, based on the strength of your entrance, young man, I believe that there are only two things that might of happened. One, that this young lady was quite unhappy to see you and promptly slapped you across the face. Or two, she is scandaley clad and you do not wish to make her uncomfortable." The Curator leaned forward then, a look of mischief in her eye. "I do believe it is the second one, am I correct?"

Kaida smiled and nodded as Charlie mumbled a very embarrassed yes, his voice breaking slightly. The Curator laughed again as she grabbed an older Hogwarts robe from the back of her chair, handing it to Kaida, who pulled the gold and maroon robe on before letting Charlie know that it was okay to look. 

"Alright! Now that everyone is settled and comfortable, I would like to begin explaining why I brought you both here this evening." Kaida glanced at Charlie out of the corner of her eye as he nodded, letting the Curator continue. "I have found a letter that has been here for over sixty years. A letter from your brother." 

A shiver ran through her as she waited for the Curator to explain. "My...brother?"

The Curator simply nodded and passed the small note across the table. It fit in the palm of her hand and was almost entirely faded on the envelope to the point where she could just barely make out her name on the front.

Although, as soon as they opened the letter, the words almost immediately jumped from the page. It was as if the letter had been written yesterday. Kaida almost laughed as a part of her remembered how her oldest brother loved writing letters with a magically enhanced quill. A quill that's ink never faded, no matter how long the letter sat. And as she read, she remembered something else: his terrible habit of writing all of his letters in riddles. Riddles that she could never solve.

"By Merlin's Beard! Of course the first thing I remember is about how terrible I am a riddles!" Kaida cried, her voice filled with anguish as Charlie softly took the letter from her hands.

'Dearest Specs, 

I need to apologize. I didn't want to leave you on our vacation, but it was better than having to go back to nan's. She always was too big for the both of us to handle, often times Newt was always there to save the day. Do you remember the time she took your favorite gem? You used to collect those so much that your room glittered at all times of the day. After I returned home, I received a letter from Hogwarts. Dumbledore wanted me to tell you that you need to see him, he has so something to give you that you forgot to pick up after school ended. I can't believe you forgot your wand. I hope you can get it before our annual starwatching party. Last time we went, you dropped your locket. I've held onto it for you. 

See you soon, Theseus.'

Charlie put the letter back into the envelope after he finished reading, looking over at Kaida as she sighed. The Curator sighed as well and leaned back in her chair, folding her arms in front of her as she looked toward the ceiling. 

"Well. I do believe that you need someone to help with this." She was silent for a moment before she smiled. "Good thing Theo's boyfriend is good at riddles."

***

Charlie looked over at Kaida again as they waited for the message to reach Theo's boyfriend. Thirty minutes had already passed and she looked like she was becoming more and more uncomfortable with each second.

"Hey Theo, what is your boyfriend's name?" He asked, trying to get everyone's mind to something a little lighter. 

"Oh! It is Pommie. We met during the trip to the America's that I took before year seven. We ran into each other while I was running away from a particularly angry Goblin and from that point on, we were inseparable. We actually sent letters to each other every day until we graduated." He paused then, a look of something between happiness and guilt passing over his face. "His parents never approved of us. Said that I wasn't good enough for his son because I am not a pure-blood. Hell, I'm not even a half-blood." 

"So, then what happened?" Charlie asked, scooting forward on his bed, somehow forgetting that this was the story about his 'boyfriend.'

"Well, I left him alone. I tried to move on. But one day, he showed up. He told me he loved me and that he never wanted to be away from me again. Then we moved in together and we now live in Scotland." Theo put a hand to his chest as he looked toward the ceiling, a lovestruck smile on his face. "God, I love him."

Kaida smiled then, thinking about a future she could almost imagine, if she wasn't cursed. A future where she was with someone who loved her, in a small house with enough room for their children to play in the backyard. For a brief moment, she even imagined a boy that she had used to like. But as opposed to the platinum blond that part of her knew he should have been, he had bright red hair. That thought alone made her smile disappear as she tried desperately to keep her cheeks from becoming that same color.

A sudden, loud pop resonated through the room a second later, revealing a tanned man who immediately ran to Theo, a giant grin practically splitting his face in half. 

"Theo! I missed you so much, love!" He picked Theo up then, spinning the smaller man in a circle before pulling him into a passionate kiss. Charlie and Kaida both looked away then, matching blushes blooming over their cheeks. As the kiss finally came to an end, Charlie turned back, getting a better look at Theo's boyfriend, who was now standing hand-in-hand with Theo, whispering to him softly.

He appeared to be Pacific Islander, due to the tanned skin and the traditional tattoo that covered his shoulder from what could be seen around his shirt. His longer brown hair was pulled back into a low bun, extra curls falling out softly.

"Excuse me, but I believe that we need to be introduced." Charlie said, giving them a moment longer to catch up, as he stood.

The pair chuckled softly before turning to them. The man held out his hand then, shaking Charlie's hand, then Kaida's.

"Sorry 'bout that! I haven't seen my dear Theo in quite a while and I was getting lonely. My name is Henry Pomeroy. But my friends call me Pommie. I heard that you needed some help with a riddle." He smirked then. sending a wink in Kaida's direction. "Good thing I love a good riddle."


End file.
